Minecraft for Mac and PC will soon have native support for Twitch live streaming, according to news coming out of Minecon 2013 this weekend. Speaking at Minecon 2013 over the weekend, Twitch Marketing Vice President Matthew DiPietro confirmed that this level of functionality would be introduced 'soon'.

"Minecraft has struck a very powerful chord with the Twitch community," DiPietro said.

While Red Bull is the number one brand on YouTube (mostly because it sponsors so many interesting sporting and gaming events worldwide), "PlayStation" is also pretty popular, according to data collected by Statista and Mashable.

If you laughed when Valve introduced its new Steam OS, Steam-based hardware and a controller along with it, then you'll understand why the company thinks it can take up space in gamers' living rooms alongside current and next generation consoles when you hear how many people in the world have Steam accounts. According to an announcement made today, Valve's digital distribution platform and soon-to-be living room entertainment destination has over 65 million registered user accounts worldwide.

While EA Sports has announced that it has broken its long-time relationship with golfing sensation Tiger Woods, it looks like Woods may already be talking to other game companies about putting his name and face on a whole new product. Tiger Woods' agent Mark Steinberg told ESPN that he is currently speaking with another unnamed video game company regarding video game rights.

Microsoft's Xbox One won't be the only next-generations system that will need to apply a launch-day patch before it can be used. Sony confirmed that the PlayStation 4 will need to have a firmware update applied before consumers can have access to some features.

After hitting a major milestone with Plants vs. Zombies 2 - 25 million downloads on iOS devices - PopCap Games' has decided that it is finally time to bring the free-to-play strategy game sequel to Android devices worldwide. The Android version of the game is available right now through Google Play and features full integration with Google Play's Game Services.

The Android version of Plants vs. Zombies 2 includes all the same features and functionality found in the iOS version, according to PopCap.

Microsoft Studios corporate vice-president Phil Spencer says that "it makes a lot of sense" that a symbiotic ecosystem exist between Xbox One and the Windows-based PCs. In an interview with AusGamer, Spencer was asked if Windows 8 and Xbox One could host cross-platform play between their respective platforms.

"I'm not allowed to leak things," Spencer replied, "but I think what you're talking about makes a lot of sense."

New research from Michigan State University examined advergames and found that they have a tendency to promote foods that are unhealthy - full of fat, sugar, and sodium. Researchers concluded that these games meant to promote products and brands often promote unhealthy lifestyle choices for children too.

Speaking to VG247, DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson admitted that the company made a mistake with how it structured the unlocks in Battlefield 3, going so far as to say that he should probably be "slapped for it."

"We shipped Battlefield 3, which we should be slapped for, with probably the worst set-ups ever," he said.

EA's Mythic Games announced via the game's official site that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will be shutting down on December 18. The MMO launched by Mythic and Electronic Arts in North and South Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand on September 18, 2008. While it had a rough launch, the game managed to interest a small and faithful following over the last five years.

Jinni has inked a multi-year agreement with Microsoft to enhance entertainment discovery on Xbox video game and entertainment systems including the Xbox 360 and the upcoming Xbox One releasing in late November. Jinni is described by its creators as a "taste-and-mood based engine" that enables entertainment discovery using "content genetics" and an understanding of user preference analytics.

Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment is warning users that any offers to get in on an early beta of the game are not real and will likely lead to some sort of scam that could compromise personal info, privacy, or computer security.

The studio took to its official Twitter feed to advise fans not to provide any personal details to sites pretending to offer testing opportunities for the upcoming Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows shooter.

Microsoft has renamed the "Xbox Live Marketplace" on Xbox.com to the "Xbox Games Store," putting the name in line with other marketplaces the company runs - like "Windows Phone Store." The Xbox Games Store is still located at marketplace.xbox.com (at least for now), and now groups titles by platform, with sections for Xbox One, Xbox 360, Mobile and Web games.

Microsoft will officially close its Xbox.com PC Marketplace on August 22, 2013. According to this FAQ on Xbox.com, those who have purchased Games for Windows Live titles and DLC will still be able to play them through the service's client, but won't have access to any kind of marketplace to purchase additional content. Some are concerned that Games for Windows Live titles will be inadvertently pulled from other services such as Steam, but that is really up to the publishers, according to Microsoft.

During a special reveal of multiplayer modes in Call of Duty Ghost at an LA event today, Infinity Ward revealed that it has added female models into the game. In addition to having the ability to play as a female soldier, the multiplayer offers dynamic events that affect gameplay and new moves such as knee slides, mantling, and contextual leaning. The game also adds 30 new weapons (including a new Marksman Rifle weapon class), 20 new killstreaks, 14 maps at launch, seven new multiplayer modes, and a new Squads mode that supports up to six players on a team.

Several major fighting game tournament organizers have decided to standardize rules about player collusion. According to a Shoryuken report, any form of collusion between competitors is now considered cheating and tournament directors who catch any competitor "intentionally underperforming" will disqualify them "immediately."

Update: Microsoft has confirmed that "every Xbox One" can be used to make games, meaning that every unit can in fact be turned into a development kit, or debug unit. Kotaku offers this statement from Microsoft on the matter:

According to a Bloomberg report, former Xbox chief and current Zynga CEO Don Mattrick has been an admirer of the social game maker for quite some time. In fact, in 2010 he tried to convince higher-ups at Microsoft that it should buy Zynga. This was prior to the company going public and during the company's popularity with games on Facebook, according to Bloomberg.

Hammerpoint Interactive's zombie survival MMO, The War Z, has been renamed Infestation: Survivor Stories today, the developer announced this morning. The name change won't have any effect on the game itself. Hammerpoint claims that the name change is meant to "help fans differentiate the popular game from similarly titles brands." In January of this year, DayZ creator Dean Hall expressed anger at the similarity of the two game names, feeling that it caused confusion about which of the games was the original concept.

While Microsoft has had its fair share of bad press surrounding the Xbox One console, those still considering a purchase when it is released later this year will at least be happy that the price of new games will remain in line with Xbox 360 retail disc pricing. Games will retail for $59.99, according to an unnamed source speaking to Kotaku.

Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida believes that the PlayStation 4 will have a lifespan of over ten years, just like previous PlayStation family home consoles. Speaking with CVG, Yoshida said with PS4 there is room for growth should games start to exceed the 8GB of RAM, and that Sony plans to support the console for at least 10.

Deadline is reporting that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer - with entertainment studios president Nancy Tellem in tow - is taking meetings with big Hollywood studios and television companies to drum up support for Xbox One as an entertainment hub for the living room.

The Verge is reporting that Microsoft may kill off its point system used on its Xbox Live Marketplace. Citing sources "familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans," The Verge says that Microsoft will replace the MS Points system with a gift card system for retail and will support straight transactions of money using credit and debit cards. The gift cards will be similar to what Apple offers for iTunes - in other words they will have a real cash value.

An internal Microsoft memo offers some good news for those worried about the next Xbox system (which they call Durango in the memo) requiring a constant connection in order to use. According to that internal Microsoft e-mail (as reported by Ars Technica) the next Xbox has been designed in a way that recognizes the delicate nature of today's Internet connections.

In Episode 49 of the show hosts Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight discuss the ongoing turmoil inside EA, Nintendo's decision to not host an E3 press conference, results of the latest poll and catch up on some mail that went into the silly spam filter. Download Episode 49 now: SuperPAC Episode 49 (1 hour, 3 minutes) 58.5 MB.

Mojang has inked a deal with North American toy maker Jazwares to produce a line of action figures, plush, and papercraft items based on the ultra-popular Minecraft game franchise. The new deal covers the entire globe, with toys shipping by year's end if all goes well.

"We are excited by our new partnership with Jazwares," said Mojang CEO Carl Manneh. "This partnership will help give our community a new way to interact with the game they love."

Just how influential and popular is Minecraft creator and Mojang co-founder Markus "Notch" Persson? Well he is apparently the second most influential person in the world right behind Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in Time Magazine's 2013 Time 100 Poll. Voting for the poll ends today, with the final list to be chosen by Time editors and revealed on April 18.

Sony Online Entertainment will merge the two remaining servers for its MMO Vanguard into one big server on April 4 at 10 p.m. PDT, the company announced this week. On April 9, the European Halgar server will permanently be taken offline, following its merge with the Telon server. SOE warned players that when this happens the game will be down for a 24 hour period - but that's not the worst of it; when the two servers are merged into one server some characters may be affected.

Just how much money has been pledged to game projects so far on Kickstarter? According to data released by the popular crowd funding platform, right around $107.6 million. Since the site's launch four years ago, more than 633,242 backers have pledged to over 4,500 Games projects, nearly 1,000 of these were pledged to in the last year.

Richard Garriott posted a lengthy explanation of a PC Gamer interview that was published yesterday in which he said that "most game designers really just suck," and that he had not met anyone who he thought came close to being as good a game designer as he was.

Shout box

Infophile: @Matt: Apparently Dan Aykroyd actually is involved. We don't know how yet, though, but he's apparently going to be in the movie in some way.08/02/2015 - 4:17am

Mattsworkname: I still hold that not having the origonal cast invovled in any way hurts this movie, and unless the 4 actresses in the lead roles can some how measure up to the comic timing of the origonal cast, i just don't see it being a success08/02/2015 - 12:46am

Mattsworkname: Mecha: regardless of what you think of it, GB 2 was a finanical success and for it time did well with audiances ,even if it wasnt as popular as the first08/02/2015 - 12:45am

MechaTama31: I think they're better off trying to do something different, than trying to be exactly the same and having every little difference held up as a shortcoming. Uncanny valley.08/01/2015 - 11:57pm

MechaTama31: Having the original cast didn't do much for... that pink-slimed atrocity which we must never speak of.08/01/2015 - 11:56pm

Mattsworkname: Andrew: If the new ghostbusters bombs, I cant help but feel it'll be cause it removed the origonal cast and changed the formula to much08/01/2015 - 8:31pm

Andrew Eisen: Not the best look but that appears to be a PKE meter hanging from McCarthy's belt.08/01/2015 - 7:34pm

Mattsworkname: You know what game is a lot of fun? rocket league. It' s a soccer game thats actually fun to play cause your A Freaking CAR!08/01/2015 - 7:02pm

Mattsworkname: Nomad colossus did a little video about it, showing the world and what can be explored in it's current form. It's worth a look, and he uses text for commentary as not to break the immerison08/01/2015 - 5:49pm

Mattsworkname: I feel some more mobility would have made it more interesting and I feel that a larger more diverse landscape with better graphiscs would help, but as a concept, it interests me08/01/2015 - 5:48pm

Andrew Eisen: Huh. I guess I'll have to check out a Let's Play to get a sense of the game.08/01/2015 - 5:47pm

Mattsworkname: It did, I found the idea of exploring a world at it's end, exploring the abandoned city of a disappeared alien race and the planets various knooks and crannies intriqued me.08/01/2015 - 5:46pm

Andrew Eisen: Did it appeal to you? If so, what did you find appealing?08/01/2015 - 5:43pm

Mattsworkname: Its an interesting concept, but it's not gonna appeal to everyone thats for sure,08/01/2015 - 5:40pm

Andrew Eisen: That sounds horrifically boring. Doesn't sound like an interesting use of its time dilation premise either. 08/01/2015 - 5:36pm

Mattsworkname: an observer , seeing this sorta frozen world and being able to explore without any restriction other then time. no enimes, no threats, just the chance to explore08/01/2015 - 5:34pm